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I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I’ll take you with me.”
Though doubtful, he slowly removed his hands from mine. Immediately after, I flung the gun across the room, shattering what was left of the vase on the counter. I hadn’t realized how fast my heart was beating. Though I hated to admit it, it was fear.
No matter what happened between Davorin and me in the long run, death wasn’t an option. Not his, not by my hand. Right now, he was the only thing that was keeping me alive.
Up until this point, I was all alone. All the burden was mine to bear; all the trauma and scars were mine. But now, I trusted him. Even after knowing that he’d been sent to kill me, I trusted him. He had more than enough opportunities to take my life any way he wished, but he didn’t.
Davorin was still on his knees. Unmoving, barely breathing or blinking. There was not a chance he’d leave me alone, even if I asked. And that meant that sooner or later, he’d figure it all out. I wanted to be the one to tell him. To let him in on my plans and even ask for his help.
“Get up.” My voice was stern. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know on the way.”
He blinked. “What I want to know is what the hell you have on your father.”
I grinned. “Let’s go then. The ride is as long as the story itself.”
The first forty minutes of the ride were uncomfortably silent. After grabbing our prisoner and tying him up inside, Davorin made a few calls in a hushed tone. Meanwhile, the prisoner tried his best to escape. I gave him some water and knocked him out again to make sure he wouldn’t run away immediately.
The man’s phone was in his pocket, intact. I installed a tracking app, hid it well, and returned the device to where I found it before departing.
We took Davorin’s car, since mine wasn’t in the best shape. I suspected there was something more than my car being a little trashed, though I didn't question it.
Our next stop was New Orleans.
He was confused why we’d travel that far, but I assured him he would know everything by the time we got there. Since then, we’d only briefly stopped at a gas station to fuel up the car and grab some snacks, plus cigarettes for me. Surviving without alcohol was getting difficult. It was the first sign of withdrawal, and it left a bitter taste on my tongue.
“Are you going to start talking anytime soon?” Davorin tapped his index finger on the wheel, eyes locked on the road.
I laughed. It was time. And since it was my first time saying it out loud, I didn’t know exactly where to start. “How many children does my father have?”
“Four, including your dead brother.”
“Nope,” I breathed out. “Six.”
He pressed on the brake suddenly. I jolted forward, stopping myself before I flew out of the windshield. Immediately after, I put the seatbelt on. His intense eyes were on me, both shocked and bewildered.
“What the fuck?”
I chuckled. “Let me start from the beginning. Natasha and Bogdan’s wedding was an arranged one. My maternal grandfather was a very wealthy Russian businessman at the time. The paternal side of my family saw money in my mother, so they proposed that the families merge. Of course, as soon as Aleksei was born, my maternal side of the family was annihilated, with the exception of a few uncles and cousins. Officially, it was a tragic accident—a fire broke out in their home. I doubt my mother knew the truth, since all of the inheritance and money went to her, but it was my father who had a say in her finances. She never saw a penny of that money, despite it being millions.”
“Jesus,” he mumbled.
Davorin soon found a good spot to park. I paused, watching him as he left the car and waited for me. I brought two canned coffees that tasted nothing like they were supposed to, but they were good enough. A cigarette between my fingers, leaning against the hood of the car, I inhaled the nicotine, my lungs getting their dose of liberation.
He was quiet, yet the anticipation in his eyes was undeniable. With an eye roll, I sighed.
“My father cheated left and right, and that was not a secret. Since she had nothing in her name that she could use to escape, Natasha put up with it. The only child she actually loved was Aleksei. Maybe even Dominik, but Viktor and me? Doubtful. Perhaps when we were young, but as we grew, all of us took after our father in some way, so the love disappeared the older we got. I don’t even want to talk about Bogdan’s hatred towards us. Years of abuse turned into indifference, until he decided to marry me off.”
Adrik visibly tensed beside me. Shoulders rigid, jaw clenched. That poor can of coffee in his hands was smashed, and he didn’t seem to notice the tight grip he held.
“During my engagement party, I was looking for Dominik. I wasn’t afraid. No one would dare to do anything to me during an event that big, but I was uneasy to be left alone with the man I was marrying. He was way too old and way too creepy. It was getting late, and the venue that was rented had bedrooms on the third floor that were reserved for overseas guests. One of the rooms was Aleksei’s since he was already operating in the States at the time.”
I was beyond grateful that he didn’t interrupt me and that he listened carefully. This wasn’t a story I wanted to speak of again, and he needed to memorize the most important parts.
“And one of the far rooms down the corridor had its door ajar. I didn’t want to snoop around, but I was curious. Inside of the room was my father with another woman, and they were arguing. Because of his bigger and taller body, I couldn’t immediately see who it was. But their voices were loud enough for me to hear perfectly.”
I turned to look at him, grinning widely. “That bastard had another set of twins. With a married woman.”
Adrik’s mouth parted, eyes wide. Of course he couldn’t have guessed anything that big. Hell, until I found out myself, I’d wondered if any woman would bear Bogdan’s children willingly.
